Int’l Falls welcomes the Big Union guys currently refurbishing the Boise plant from stem to stern. For sure, local merchants get a well needed boost, especially the folks who sell booze. These boiler makers not only repair them by day, they drink them by night. “We work hard and we play hard,” slurred Daryl Pettibone (not his real name) as he staggered from his truck totin’ a half gallon of Wild Turkey from the front seat. “I’m back BOYS!”

Esther Fuller, 93, died surrounded by her family Friday, May 2, 2008 at MeritCare Northwest Hospital, Thief River Falls, Minn.
Funeral services will be conducted at 11 a.m. today, Wednesday, May 7, at Silver Creek Lutheran Church, rural Thief River Falls, with the Rev. Ale Tulu officiating.
Burial will follow at Greenwood Cemetery.
Visitation was from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 6, at Johnson Funeral Service, Thief River Falls, with a prayer service at 7.
Visitation is also one hour prior to the funeral service today at the church.

The Koochiching County Family Dependency Treatment Court is a step closer to obtaining funding to hire staff to work closely with the families in the program.
Court officials discussed the program with Koochiching County commissioners Tuesday. The board was supportive of the new program, slated to begin in August, and agreed to back a grant application for the program.

Boise Inc. officials reported recently that leadership changes have been made in the company in an effort to sharpen its focus on financial performance.
“These changes reflect the next stage of our strategy,” CEO Alexander Toeldte said. “They will also enable us to work with a higher sense of urgency to profitably execute our strategy in the face of increasing input costs and to sharpen the focus on our customers.”
Boise Inc. will continue to run the company with two overall profit centers: packaging and paper, according to a news release issued this week.

By 2010, Voyageurs National Park will once again have a 49-passenger tour boat on Rainy Lake to serve park visitors.
Acting Superintendent Raoul Lufbery announced that VNP received $1.4 million to build a 49-passenger tour boat for Rainy Lake. The funding for the boat comes from the 2008 Federal Lands Highway Category III — Alternative Transportation Program.
The boat is expected to be built as a “first-class boat” with two levels, Lufbery told the Koochiching County Board Tuesday.
Local officials voiced their support for the park’s plans for the new boat.

By ROGER JEROME, Sports Correspondent

VIRGINIA — Sometimes in athletics, the best way to optimum performance is to relax. That’s the advice Broncos shortstop Jake Casareto heard before Tuesday afternoon’s game in Virginia. The result was a three home run six RBI performance in the Broncos 14-2 win over Virginia Tuesday afternoon.
“Jake had been pressing and we told him to relax and go with the pitch,” Bronco coach Vic Heinlen said. “ He has great wrist action,” he said. The result was three towering drives over the fence in left field.

The Broncos boys’ track and field team was in Bemidji on Tuesday for the Section 8 True Team Meet.
The team was the defending champions of Section 8 and failed to defend their title, taking third place overall behind Roseau and West Marshall.
Several Broncos placed in the top ten in their events including senior tri-captain Eric Solo who took first place in the Discus and the Shot Put.
Defending State Champion Raphy Gelo took first place in the pole vault with a height of 14 feet one inch.

The Broncos girls’ track and field team traveled to Bemidji on Tuesday to compete in the Section 8 True Team Track Meet.
The Broncos took third place out of 14 teams at the meet.
“We didn't have our best meet, but with a few girls out due to injuries or illness we weren't full strength,” Broncos head coach Jen Erickson said. “The girls really hung in there though and continued to pick up points even after some tough breaks in several events.”

EVELETH — The Falls High Broncos softball players knew coming into Tuesday’s game with the Eveleth-Gilbert Golden Bears that they were going to have their work cut out for them.
The team knew that they were destined to face-off with Division I prospect Carla Anderson and the senior delivered holding the Broncos to four hits through seven innings as the Golden Bears came a away with a 2-0 victory at Southside Park in Eveleth.
“We didn’t hit the ball,” Broncos head coach Kevin Gordon said. “We haven’t seen that kind of pitching.”

Lawmakers have put aside consideration of bills that would have impacted Minnesota walleye fishing.
And that’s OK — for now.
Bills that would have reduced walleye limits, set an earlier walleye opener and established a statewide slot limit have been pulled from the table.
In April, a Senate committee cut a proposal to lower from six to four the walleye bag limit from the omnibus environmental policy bill. The idea for the reduced bag limit came from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.